The present disclosure relates generally to transmissions, and is particularly directed to a transmission in which the output orientation can be varied. The innovation will be specifically disclosed in connection with material handling systems utilizing such variable output orientation transmissions for conveying articles.
Typically, the output of a mechanical transmission has a fixed orientation relative to the orientation of the input. Occasionally, though, in many situations there is a need to vary the output orientation relative to the input orientation. One such situation arises with material handling systems.
With material handling systems, it is known to utilize a conveyor to transport a succession of articles along a desired path, to merge or combine a plurality of conveying paths to fewer paths, or to selectively direct articles to respective desired or selected locations or desired paths. For example, sortation conveyors in which articles may be selectively conveyed from the sortation conveyor onto another conveyor or to a desired intermediate or ultimate location by pushers, arms, pop up wheels, cross belts, tilt trays or other suitable structures. Configurations in which articles are selectively directed to one of a plurality of paths from a single conveyor include pick and pass, carton sequencing, work cell and single sort to multiple location configurations. Other examples include aligning conveyors, switching conveyors and merging conveyors. Conveyors are also used to engage sides of articles being transported.
Many different configurations are known for the conveying surface of a single conveyor, such as an endless conveying belt, moving slats or tubes, cross belts, tilt trays, and rollers to name a few. An example of rollers includes elongated cylindrical rollers which may be self driven, such as a motorized drive roller, or driven by an underlying endless belt urged into contact with the rollers. Another example of rollers includes individual spaced apart wheels having a small width relative to their diameters which may also be driven by an underlying endless belt urged into contact with the wheels. The circumference of such rollers may be flat, i.e., cylindrical, or arcuate which may have a constant radius, i.e., spherical, or may not.
It is known to configure the conveyor system to be capable of selectively directing articles from the conveying surface so as to following one of a plurality of paths therefrom. Examples of such configurations include a pusher and swinging arm to engage the article and push it sideways. For moving slats or tubes, a traveling pusher configuration may be used. Cross belt and tilt tray conveyors have individual sections that move as the conveyor and which are selectively actuated to cause the article thereon to move laterally until being discharged therefrom. Conveyors of wheels or elongated rollers may have laterally disposed conveying structures interposed therebetween at divert locations to cause the article to travel laterally to the desired path. In most such configurations, articles may be discharged from the main conveyor in one of two lateral directions the directing and thereof.
Although one or more embodiments will be described herein in connection with variable output orientation transmissions used in material handling systems, it will be understood that the present invention is not limited in use or application thereto. The teachings of the present invention may be used in any application in which variable output orientation transmissions may be beneficially used.